Australian photographer Jono Allen has won the General – Black and White category at the 15th Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum International Photography Award (HIPA), while New Zealand-based photographer Chi Hui Tang has taken out the Dreams Through AI category.
General – Black and White, 1st place: Jono Allen – Mahina and Mother (Australia). The image shows Mahina, a rare albino humpback whale calf, resting close against her mother during the beginning of their migration towards Antarctic waters. Her distinctive white colouring makes her particularly vulnerable to predators and other dangers along the journey.
The winners were announced at a ceremony held at Dubai’s Museum of the Future on 10 November, with US$1 million in prize money awarded across the competition categories and Special Awards.
Grand prize winner: Pinu Rahman – Under the Same Sky (Bangladesh). Photographed the morning after a devastating fire in Dhaka's Korail settlement, the image shows a family of five sleeping together within the surviving concrete walls of their burned home. Around them lie the charred remains of their neighbourhood, with only a few salvaged belongings close by.
The overall Grand Prize of US$200,000 went to Bangladeshi photographer Pinu Rahman for an image documenting a family sheltering among the remaining concrete walls of their home after a fire destroyed more than 1,500 houses in Korail, one of Dhaka’s most densely populated informal settlements.
The image was selected in keeping with this year’s theme, ‘Family’, which explored the relationships and experiences that shape family life.
Allen won the General – Black and White category, ahead of Indian photographer Barun Sarkar in second place and Canadian photographer Thomas Vijayan in third.
General – Black and White, 2nd place: Barun Sarkar – Beyond the Threads (India). Three children peer through a curtain of tangled threads, their faces partially obscured but their eyes clearly visible. The image uses the threads as a metaphor for poverty, limited opportunity and the barriers facing future generations.General – Black and White, 3rd place: Thomas Vijayan – Black is Powerful (Canada). A melanistic leopard emerges from the darkness along a dimly lit track, its pale eyes fixed towards the camera. Subtle light reveals the animal's powerful form against an almost entirely black background.
Tang's first-place finish in Dreams Through AI was followed by Chinese photographer Fan Ho Tsang in second and Colombian photographer Bernardo Hernandez in third. The category recognises creative work exploring the possibilities of artificial intelligence in visual arts.
Dreams Through AI, 1st place: Chi Hui Tang – Between Heaven and Earth (New Zealand). A snow-covered mountain and sweeping lenticular cloud formation are reflected in a still body of water. A lone black horse galloping across the landscape provides the only movement in the otherwise tranquil scene.Dreams Through AI, 2nd place: Fan Ho Tsang – Dreams We Inherit (China). A high-speed train cuts through a tunnel of light, its white form sharply defined against streaks of blue and silver. The image uses motion and perspective to represent generations moving forward together.Dreams Through AI, 3rd place: Bernardo Hernandez – Surfing the Sunset (Colombia). A female surfer balances on a breaking wave off Coveñas, Colombia, as the setting sun casts warm light across the water. The photograph captures the relationship between the surfer, the movement of the ocean and the surrounding landscape.
Other category winners included Slovak photographer Filip Hrebenda, who took first place in General – Colour, and Palestinian photographer Yousef Alzanoon, who won the Portfolio category. Chinese photographer Hongbin Wu won Sports Photography, while Emirati photographer Hamid Obaid Al Ali took first place in Family.
General – Colour, 1st place: Filip Hrebenda – What the Earth Draws in Secret (Slovakia). An aerial view reveals glacial channels winding through dark sediment, creating sweeping patterns of turquoise and yellow. Bare trees along a ridge add another layer to the abstract landscape.General – Colour, 2nd place: Franco Banfi – Give Me a Ride (Switzerland). A split-level underwater photograph shows an Olive Ridley sea turtle at the ocean's surface with a Brown booby perched on its shell. The image captures an unusual relationship between two marine species.General – Colour, 3rd place: Ramiro Torrents – Between Ice and Galaxies (Italy). Photographed at Laguna Torre in Patagonia, the panoramic night scene captures the Milky Way above the mountains, with moonlight illuminating the landscape below. Still water and motionless icebergs complete the scene.Sports Photography, 1st place: Hongbin Wu – Winter Game (China). Following heavy snowfall in Qinghai, a group of young lamas clear their temple's basketball court and start an impromptu game. Their scarlet robes stand out against the surrounding snow-covered landscape.Sports Photography, 2nd place: Faisal Hamada – Blazing Lap (Kuwait). A McLaren Formula One car speeds around the circuit beneath a blazing sunset, with motion blur transforming the track and surrounding light into sweeping bands of colour. The car remains sharply defined against the dramatic backdrop.Sports Photography, 3rd place: Kirill Kudryavtsev – Celestial Flare (Russian Federation). Germany's Noah Vicktor launches into the air during snowboard slopestyle qualifying at the Milano Cortina 2026 Winter Olympics in Livigno, Italy. A circular sun flare surrounds the airborne athlete against the deep blue sky.Family, 1st place: Hamid Obaid Al Ali – The Promise of Tomorrow (United Arab Emirates). A macro photograph captures a female sponge crab sheltering a cluster of developing eggs, her claws curled protectively around her brood. The image offers a glimpse of parental care in the underwater world.Family, 2nd place: Nawaf Alosaimi – The Line (Kingdom of Saudi Arabia). A large herd of African elephants moves across an open plain beneath a dramatic sky, led by a prominent matriarch. Younger elephants and calves stay close to the adults as the group crosses the landscape.Family, 3rd place: Subhajit Datta – Framed Connection (India). Photographed through the window of a cruise vessel in Vietnam's Ha Long Bay, the image combines the reflection of a father taking a photograph with a mother and child sitting inside. Limestone karsts and boats beyond the glass bring the different layers together.
The awards also recognised three photographers for their contributions to the industry.
Japanese photographer Kazuyoshi Nomachi received the Appreciation Award for a career spanning more than 50 years, documenting communities and cultures in remote regions. Syrian photographer Dr Ali Mohamad received the Content Creator Award for his work exploring the relationship between technology and visual arts.
French photojournalist Véronique de Viguerie was named HIPA Photographer of the Year, recognising her work documenting people affected by war, conflict and oppression.
HIPA Secretary General Ali Bin Thalith said the competition's archive now contains more than one million photographs, contributed by a community of more than 500,000 photographers from 209 countries.
Launched in 2011, HIPA has grown into one of the larger international photography competitions, with its annual awards attracting entries across a range of photographic genres and approaches.
